


The Truth

by klloydbanks



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-14
Updated: 2012-07-14
Packaged: 2017-11-09 22:59:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/459433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klloydbanks/pseuds/klloydbanks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>NC-17, 5.1k AU. Jensen and Jared had been best friends, grown up in each other's pockets and they thought it would always be that way until a changing relationship led to an alcohol fueled mistake during their senior year. Newly graduated from University, they both moved back home to start work. When Jared is mugged and brought to the hospital where Jensen works, they both have to face some painful memories before they can really face each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Truth

"This is the wo-“ Jared’s hiccup briefly ceased his train of thought. “Worst idea you’ve ever had.”

To be fair, Jared had been pretty miserable for a few weeks and Chad was only tying to lighten the mood a little bit. So maybe the second bottle of tequila wasn’t the gangbuster idea he had hoped it would be but at least no one had puked… yet.

They stumbled along Main Street until they were bathed in the neon orange glow that signaled they had reached their destination. Jared craned his neck to read the buzzing sign simply proclaiming 24-HR TATTOO and wondered when exactly it had gotten this bad.

He should have been ecstatic, who gets a teaching job only a month after graduation? Jared was set to begin work at his alma mater in approximately one week. He had worked long and hard, 4 years in honors English; another one to get his Bachelor of Education and at 23, he finally had his dream job to show for it.

Unfortunately for Jared, someone else had already moved back to town to pursue their career path as well. Jensen Ackles: childhood best friend, turned high school best friend, turned experimental lover, turned mortal enemy, turned nurse extraordinaire.

Jared’s not even sure he remembers everything that happened back in twelfth grade when they went from being attached at the hip to ignoring each other’s existence. He remembers an ill-fated night of drinking followed by the impromptu make-out session and subsequent blowjob that ruined his life; he just isn’t quite sure how they got from point A to point Z.

The actual sex act itself had been an inevitability if he was being honest. They had lived out of each other’s pockets since the first day of Kindergarten when Jared traded his chocolate snack pack for Jensen’s vanilla. It was the perfect friendship. Jared had a pool and Jensen had a trampoline. They learned to play t-ball together, followed by softball and finally hardball. They played with Jared’s Super Nintendo, then Jensen’s N-64, then Jared’s Playstation, then Jensen’s Playstation 2. They took all the same classes: Jensen sleeping through English Lit while Jared doodled during Biology. They even watched their first porn together, huddled in the corner of Jensen’s basement on the desktop starting with lesbians, moving to straight couples, finishing with gays and not even pretending they weren’t looking at each other anymore. They had talked about what schools had a good English program for Jared _and_  a well-funded Nursing lab for Jensen. Stayed up late more than once trying to decide whether they wanted to move home and find a place together after school or if they should go try a new city. It had all seemed so perfect to Jared, he really should have known back then that perfect never really exists. It’s all hurt and confusion, waiting for something that was never gonna happen anyways.

And so, nearly six years later, Jared still feels the wound Jensen left behind. On the good days he thinks that maybe he imagined it all, built up this person who was too flawless to be real and it almost feels like relief. The rest of the time he remembers everything in stupid, crushing detail. He’ll breathe into the old Raiders Athletics shirt proudly emblazoned with **ACKLES** on the back rationally knowing it has long since lost its scent, brain refusing to forget what it used to smell like.

Good or bad, there wasn’t a day that went by that Jared didn’t think of Jensen. He had tried to fill the void but how do you recover from your soul mate? Chad could make fun all he wanted, Jared _knew_  with frightening clarity that there would never be anyone else for him.

“Come on man, but don’t tell me what you’re gonna get and we can surprise each other after.” Chad’s voice had snapped him back out of his devastating train of thought and he breathed a sigh of relief for the, albeit brief, distraction. “This is gonna be awesome.” It was the same thing he’d been saying since they made these appointments three weeks ago, you had to admire the guy’s unyielding enthusiasm.

Jared already knew what tattoo his best friend would get. Since the day he had turned eighteen he’d rambled on and on about a bar code on the back of his neck as if he were the first anti-establishment asshole to get inked. _Welcome to 2010 Murray._  He figured he could get away with the Longhorns logo on the inside of his arm or something stupid like that.

The artist, a pretty blonde girl named Katie asked him what he wanted and he told her about his Longhorns idea. “Okay well if you want I could write something underneath it, all script is half off this weekend.”

_All script was half off._  Jared was almost positive this was God talking to him. “What if I want just a name? Right on top of my hip bone.”

“A name huh? Ballsy, I like that. Sure thing stud, what’s her name?”

“His. His name is Jensen.” He hadn’t meant for it to sound so wrecked and when Katie shot him a sad smile he knew she was reconsidering.

“Honey, maybe you’ve had too much to drink to go inkin’ some boy’s name into you if he’s already broken your heart.”

“No. He’s been it since I was six and he gave me the vanilla pudding even though it’s his favourite. This ship has long since sailed for anyone else, believe me.”

She just sighed and he let his eyes slip shut while she prepped the area.

**Two Months Later…**

Jensen had been sitting at a computer, trying desperately not to fall asleep while making his way through all the charting he had neglected through the beginning of his shift. It was almost 2 AM and for once the ER seemed quiet, maybe even peaceful.

His eyes had just begun to droop when suddenly EMTs were bursting through the sliding doors declaring that they had a stab wound to the abdomen, possible robbery attempt. Significant blood loss, tachycardic, BP nose-diving and altered level of consciousness. He saw that Alona had run to prep the OR so he quickly moved in to assist the patient, almost stopping dead in his tracks when he saw the man lying on the stretcher.

“Hey!” Tom yelled at him as he pushed a bolus of meds into the young man’s IV line. “Now is not the time man, let’s get him stable and then you can loose your fuckin’ mind.” What sucked about growing up in a small town was that everybody knew your business.

What a shame, he had almost gone a full hour without thinking of Jared.

They made him wait outside of the OR, Dr. Ferris saying that she’s very sorry but _‘boy I can’t have you looking over my shoulder and yellin’ in my ear when I’m not goin’ fast enough.’_ He sat in a chair in the waiting room; leg jiggling incessantly while Mrs. Padalecki held his hand and asked him how he’d been doing.

“We’re all so proud of you sweetheart. We just knew you’d make a great nurse one day. JT was always your biggest fan.”

“Yea… _was_.”

“Oh, no baby. You zoomed in on the wrong word there. I said _always_ too.”

“I won’t- don’t worry, I won’t stick around too long, I just want to make sure he’s alright and then I’ll go.”

“You’ll do no such thing. You’re the one he’s gonna want to see when it’s all said and done.” She watched him start to object, shaking his head and tearing up. “Whenever your name comes up around Jared, he just gets real quiet and sad, like he’s remembering. Every time his puts on his Jensen face, do you know what I remember?”

“No ma’am.”

“Jared’s fifteenth birthday, he decided to have a pool party remember?” She paused for Jensen to nod before continuing. “Right well if I remember correctly you had a test on the Monday that you were studying like a madman for so you were off to the side of everyone else.”

_Jensen had been trying to concentrate over the screams of their friends for almost 2 hours now. He wondered how mad Jared would be if he just went up to his friend’s room for the rest of the party. He’d stay later, just the two of them but he really couldn’t get anything done down here._

_Just then he heard Jared’s voice from vicinity of the diving board. “Jens!! Jens, watch!! Jensennnnnn I’m gonna do a back-flip. You gotta watch.” Jensen looked up to find his best friend flailing wildly, giant smile eating up half his face. He rolled his eyes quickly and pointed at the textbook draped over his thighs. “Jen come on, please? I really want you to watch.”_

_He snapped his head up and shut his book with a loud snap. “Yes, fine Jared, go ahead.” He hadn’t noticed his frustration until he heard it in his own voice and as he watched Jared’s smile fall he instantly wished he could take it back. “Jare-“_

_Jared stepped back off the diving board quickly and made his way to the kitchen door with a half assed, “Getting a drink, be back.” thrown over his shoulder._

_He heard Tom’s snarky, “Way to go dude.” from the general area of the shallow end before he stood up and followed Jared into the house._

_He stood at the sink, untouched can of diet coke in his hands. Jensen knew the second Jared felt his presence, back going stiff instantly. He walked over to his best friend slowly, snaking his hands around his waist and dropping his chin on his shoulder. He couldn’t help but feel himself relax as the sun warm skin of Jared’s back connected with his bare chest and allowed his fingers to trace lazy patterns over Jared’s abs. “’M’sorry Jay. Didn’t mean to be an asshole on your birthday.”_

_Jared just dropped the unopened can into the sink in favour of turning fully into Jensen’s arms, burying his head in the crook of his neck. “’S’ok. I shouldn’t have been bugging you; I know you have your Chem test to study for. You should just go upstairs and we can hang out when everybody else leaves.”_

_Jensen felt his stomach go tight at the way Jared’s hands were stroking across his back until he noticed his own hands doing something similar and he reluctantly pushed back. “Nah, it’s alright I’ve been studying all day. Come on, show me your back-flip Stretch.”_

_“’Kay.” Jared’s smile was enormous, dimples causing a flash of heat to run down Jensen’s spine. “Still wanna sleep over later? I think my mom’s making cherry pie for me and blueberry for you.”_

_He was a little light headed when Jared grabbed his hand and pulled him back outside but he couldn’t stop the slow smile that painted his features. “Whatever you want birthday boy.”_

“Didn’t think anybody saw that.” He muttered to his shoes, face heating up when he swore he could feel Jared’s warm back pressed against him.

“You know you meant everything to that boy. Still do. And no, I don’t know what happened to you two but I do know that all Jared has ever wanted was your unconditional love and undivided attention. The minute he stopped getting those his world became a much sadder place.”

“He still had ‘em after… everything. He just didn’t know he did.”

He felt the tears roll down his cheeks before he’d even realized he’d started crying. Mrs. Padalecki just scratched his back and assured him everything would work out.

After what felt like years, Jared had been moved to recovery and his parents had gone home to get some rest, assured he would likely not wake for a few more hours.

As he sat in the stiff chair beside Jared’s bed, head pillowed on one of his muscular thighs and fingers tracing patterns on the back of his limp hand, Jensen took the opportunity to study the work of art before him. He had changed a bit, mostly small inconsequential things. Hair a little longer, muscles a little bigger, hands a little rougher, still as stupidly beautiful as the last day they had seen each other.

“You know I can’t eat vanilla pudding anymore without crying like a little girl. Tommy calls me a psychopath but then, he likes butterscotch so what the hell does that clown know.” Jensen whispered, desperate to break up the hospital white noise and constant beeps filling the room. “Sometimes I’ll be watching TV and see something funny and turn to laugh with you and you’re not there and it’s like my gut cramps up and I have to just go lay down for a bit.”

Unable to reconcile that Jared, perfect, sweet, incredible Jared, _his_  Jared, was anything but impenetrable; he gave into the need to see the wound himself. Slowly, carful not to disturb Jared’s IV lines, he pulled back the blankets and hospital issue gown, frowning and the bandage covered wounds before freezing when his sight caught on the scrawled ink covering his beautifully defined hip bone.

_**Jensen** _

He traced his fingers over the black letters just once before replacing the blankets and stepping out into the hall so he could try to breathe again.

Dr. Ferris was heading over to do a post-op check on Jared when she saw Jensen bent over and clutching his chest. He heard her voice before he’d even registered another presence in the hallway.

“Jensen, honey are you ok?”

“He’s got a tattoo. My name is on his body… forever.”

“Yea I saw that. Figured you knew.”

“No.”

“Jensen… darlin’, I know it ‘aint none of my business but do you remember the day you decided you wanted to be a nurse?” Jensen thought about it really hard for a minute but couldn’t pin point a start to it.

“I always wanted to be a nurse. Since I was a kid. I grew up with a nurse for a mom and she loved it, natural progression right?”

“Oh sweet boy, if only it were that simple.” He gave her a confused look and waved his hand, prompting her to keep talking. “When you were still tiny your momma used to come in and tell us all about how you wanted nothing more than to be a cowboy. You were gonna be John Wayne. And then she told you if you were a cowboy you’d have to leave Jared and there went that idea. Then you thought you’d be the greatest Arctic explorer of all time until Jared told you he hated snow and then that one was out too. A few weeks after you turned 10 Jared was in the hospital, you remember?”

“It was tonsillitis.” He remembered that week in sickening detail.

“Yea but you were so sure if you let anyone else near him he’d just drop dead or somethin'. It got so bad that your momma brought in an air mattress for you to sleep beside him at night.”

_”Come on now Jensen, it’s time to go home. You can come back and see Jared tomorrow.”_

_Jensen struggled against his mom, pulling away to jump up on the bed with his best friend. “No momma, I can’t leave. Jay needs me to take care of him.” He wrapped his arms around Jared’s neck, smiling when Jared hugged him back._

_Jared opened his mouth to try and say something but Jensen threw his hand over the boy’s mouth, chiding him softly. “No Jay, you can’t talk or you’re gonna hurt yourself more, k?” He removed his hand, satisfied when Jared just nodded._

_“See momma? He needs me.” He felt Jared nodding enthusiastically behind him and he could see the softening look in his mother’s eyes and could tell she was about to crumble to their will._

“I remember. I spent hours talking him to sleep cause he hated the hospital.” He felt tears springing to life again, memories of how they’d always been enough for each other flooding his mind.

“Sweetheart all I’m sayin’ is, that boy in there has loved you his whole life. I don’t know what happened to you two and it’s none of my business anyways but maybe it’s time you both stop pretending you’re not pining for each other and fix things. Just think about it alright?”

She walked into Jared’s room to give him the assessment, coming back almost 10 minutes later, patting Jensen softly on the shoulder. “He’s doing pretty good. You’ll page me when he wakes?”

“Sure thing Sam.” He slid down the wall the second she left the hallway, finally allowing his emotions to boil over, tears flowing freely.

That’s where Tom found him, half an hour later, sitting on the floor across from Jared’s room with his head against the wall and dried tear tracks under his closed eyes.

Jensen stirred when he felt something heavy come down on his shoulder. He looked up, blinking the lingering wetness away to lock eyes with his friend.

“He’s gonna be okay right? He has to be okay.” Jensen barely recognized his own voice, rough from tears and disuse.

“He’ll be fine man, we found him quick and Sam said everything looked good in surgery. He just needs some rest.” Tom surveyed the hall quickly, ensuring that they were alone. “Dude it’s 4:30 what are you still doing here? Go home and sleep.”

“Gotta be here when he wakes up.”

“What do you mean ‘here’? You’re actually gonna talk to him?” It was almost laughable, would be if it weren’t so tragic. Tom had watched his best friend suffer through the fall of _JaredandJensen_ from the beginning. He had seen the handful of tall, floppy haired suitors in college and he watched them each get turned away because ‘dude didn’t even have dimples’, ‘hands felt too soft’ or his personal favourite, ‘his eyes are blue… creepy’.

“No… I don’t- Maybe, yea.” He huffed out an aggravated breath. “Did you bring what I asked for?” Jensen had sent his friend back to their apartment to fetch some supplies.

“Yea. What’s all this stuff for anyways?”

Jensen looked at the bag with a sleepy, far away smile. “When we were still… us, and one of us would get sick the other would bring over Disney movies and we’d watch them together until we were healthy again. Last time we did it was two weeks before… well you know.”

Tom handed over the bag with a nod. “Mhm. What’s with the blanket?”

The fleece was cool under Jensen’s fingers, orange Longhorns logo set on a cream background taking him back to a simpler time. “We were eleven, we got each other the same Christmas present,” he pointed to the blanket “and we both got sick but wouldn’t let go of the blankets so they just became part of the ritual.”

_“The seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake. You dream about going up der but dat is a big mistake. Just look at de world you, right here on de ocean floor. Such wonderful things around you, what more is you looking for?” Jared was singing… no, singing wasn’t really the right word for it. Jared was butchering Under the Sea, just the same as he did any other time one of them was sick._

_Jensen had foolishly assumed that by the time they got older this stuff would stop but now, at 14, Jared just seemed more enthusiastic than ever._

_“Come on Jen, it’s your line.”_

_He rolled his eyes and tried to bite back the smile creeping on to his face. He knew that he would sound ridiculous all stuffy and scratchy but he had to humor Jared. “Under the sea… under the sea… darling it’s better down where it’s wetter take it from me.” He smiled wider when Jared wrapped him up in one of the Longhorns blankets and pulled him back to rest against his chest. ”Am I done singing now? My throat hurts.”_

_Jared just smiled and pressed his cheek to the top of his best friend’s head. “Yea Jens, you’re done. Now be healed by Disney magic.”_

_Jensen was pretty sure it had nothing to do with Disney and everything to do with Jared but he’d take that secret to the grave if it made the other boy happy._

He blew out a stuttered breath and stood on shaky legs. “Alright well I’m gonna- I’ll call you when I know what’s going on.”

“Take care of yourself man, if you need me to come get you, just call.” Tom walked away leaving Jensen to stand outside Jared’s room with his heart beating wildly.

“Now or never I guess.” He muttered to himself before pushing into the room and pulling a chair close to the bed. “Hey Jay, brought some stuff for you. I brought umm Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. What do you think?” Jensen searched Jared’s face, knowing that Sebastian had always been Jared’s favourite character. “Ok, Little Mermaid it is.” He went to the TV to put in the movie before coming back and draping the blanket over Jared’s limp form.

 

Jared’s eyes blinked open slowly. He could tell it was late, the window beside his bed letting in soft moonlight. He was warm and felt comfortable despite the throbbing pain in his stomach. The bed was stiff, there was beeping in the room and when he looked down to investigate the heavy weight on his leg he saw… “Jens?”

The voice pulled him out of his restless sleep and back to the present, back to Jared. When he looked up he saw Jared’s eyes locked on him, confused but open. Hurt but trusting. “Hey Stretch.”

“What’s going on? Why are you here? Why am I in the hosp-“ It all flooded back quickly: the bar with Chad, drinking too much, walking home, the guy who asked for directions and then the knife. “Guy wanted my wallet, I told him to fuck off. He had a knife though.”

“Jay it’s ok, you don’t have to go over this stuff now. Look I’ve gotta call Sam, tell her you’re awake.” He stopped when he felt Jared’s fingers grasp loosely around his wrist. The grip was loose enough to break through but the action kept him firmly planted. “You never told me why you’re here.”

Jensen spared a quick glance over his shoulder before removing Jared’s hand from his wrist, brushing his fingers lightly over the other man’s knuckles. “I’ll be back with Sam, try to stay awake.” And just like that he was gone again.

It was the first time he’d seen Jensen in years, first time he’d heard that voice in almost as long. He closed his eyes and went immediately back to the last memory he had of hearing that deep rumble.

_Whoever the hell was calling him at 3:30 AM on a Thursday needed to die a slow and painful death. He groped around in the dark, searching for his cell phone before he finally landed on pay dirt._

_“’Lo?” It came out sounding scratchy, voice rough from sleep._

_“Jay? Jared were you sleeping?”_

_“Jensen?”_

_“Yea baby it’s me.” Baby? They hadn’t been anywhere close to baby for almost a year._

_“What… Why are you- baby? I don’t- Jensen I don’t understand why you’re calling me.”_

_“Miss you Jay. Hurts when you’re gone. Always hurts ‘cause you’re always gone now.”_

_The words were slurred and it occurred to Jared that Jensen had probably hit the bottle a little bit tonight. “Jensen, are you drunk?”_

_“Well yea but shh ‘cause I just wanna hear your voice.”_

_“Telling me to shh so you can hear my voice kinda defeats the purpose.”_

_“Jay I need you… tell me you love me.” He sounded wrecked, broken and Jared was tempted to just give in right then._

_“Jens…”_

_“I love you so much Jay I just... please.” Those words sent electric shocks through his body and straight to his heart, it was more than he could handle._

_“Why are you doing this Jensen? We haven’t even talked since graduation and that was like five months ago. Even then all you said was good luck in Arlington.”_

_“Do you like it there?”_

_Not the point Jensen but way to deflect. “It’s… yea it’s fine. How’s Austin?”_

_“Lonely. Jay we were supposed to do this together. It was supposed to be you and me, always. Please…”_

_Jared looked across the room to the empty bed that should have contained Jensen and felt his walls break down. “What do you need Jens?”_

_“Talk to me. Tell me what you’re wearing.” Heat sparked across his skin at that voice in his ear. Oh so it was gonna be one of those conversations._

_“Boxers. I’m under the blankets though; it’s kinda cold here. What about you?”_

_“Just got naked, ‘m under blankets too…” He closed his eyes, fighting against the delicious image of Jensen’s sparsely freckled body laid out before him._

_“I want you to touch yourself Jensen. Run your hand down your chest. Slowly. Finger nail over your nipples.” Jensen moaned low and Jared felt himself grow impossibly harder. “That’s right Jen. Reach down, touch your balls. Don’t you dare put a finger on your cock until I tell you to. Roll your balls in your palm Jens, press a finger right behind them.” He heard the increased hitch of Jensen’s breath and knew he couldn’t be too far off. “Now, rub your fingers over your cock head. Lightly. Press down into your slit, get some pre cum on your fingers and lick it off.” Jensen let out another moan around his fingers and Jared had to press the heel of his hand against his raging erection. This was about Jensen right now. “Good baby, you’re doing real good.” Might as well use Jensen’s own endearments. “Get that hand nice and wet for me. Good?”_

_“Mmm.”_

_“’Kay, now wrap it tight just under the head of your cock and twist up.” Jensen broke into a loud moan and Jared knew he was so close, right on the edge. “Keep going baby, fuck your hand for me. You sound so good Jens, so sexy.” Jensen whimpered and he knew the boy just needed one last push over the edge. “Come on. I love you so fucking much Jensen. Come for me.”_

_A strangled moan and then steady breathing broke over the line, the next words would define what was to come of them and Jared couldn’t help but hold his breath._

_“Jay I- I’m so sorry.” He could hear the tears in Jensen’s voice, the regret swimming in his tone, he just wasn’t sure what Jensen was apologizing for. Somehow though, he knew that was all he was gonna get._

_“Go to sleep Jensen.”_

_He hung up the phone and pulled his dick out of his boxers. He came not two minutes later, tears streaking his face and vivid memories of Jensen on his knees for him._

Sam’s check-up didn’t take long and once again Jensen found himself at Jared’s bedside, searching for the words to heal and comfort.

“You should be able to go home by Wednesday, they just want to keep you around for observation.”

“Jensen… why are you here?” When he didn’t look like he was gonna answer Jared just pushed on. “I’m just gonna keep askin’ so you may as well tell me.”

“I needed to know you were gonna be okay. I… Jare when you came in on that stretcher I couldn’t breathe.”

“Why would you care?”

“Why would I… Jared you’re- it’s- you’re everything man.” Jensen walked closer, moving to sit up on Jared’s bed and trail his fingers over the fleece blanket on his lap. “I’m sorry for just everything. For screwing us up and then the stupid call and now… I can’t seem to stay away from you. Never learned how.”

Jared looked at the place where Jensen’s fingers drew nonsense patterns on his blanket. _Their blanket._  “How did you screw us up Jens? We were both drunk that night, I kissed you first.”

“Yea you kissed me so sweet and perfect and I just got on my knees like some cheap slut.”

“Don’t say stuff like that. It was… Jensen it was the most incredible… God I was so in love with you. And you just left. I don’t get it, you said you were gonna go grab our stuff so we could leave and I came out of the bathroom and you were gone. Ignored all my calls, wouldn’t come to the door when I came over, you just left me all alone in this horrible world.” Jared’s voice was cracking, memories of those dark days coming back and slamming into him full force. He remembered feeling helpless and no one would explain why his best friend hated him.

“I’m sorry Jay, I just- I saw Sandy in the hall and she told me about you guys making out earlier in the night. Asked me if you ever talked about her and you had a little. I thought I was doing the right thing for you I just couldn’t be around to watch.” Jensen was whispering like he always did when he’d done something wrong and Jared felt an overwhelming urge to wrap him up in his arms and keep him safe forever. “I couldn’t watch you live the life I so badly wanted with someone else.”

He was shaking his head furiously, tears forming and breaking over his cheeks. “You didn’t have to Jens, all I ever wanted was you. That’s it. God you stupid…” He pulled Jensen into his body and crashed their lips together, no longer able to hold on to his control. Their tongues shifted together and it was everything Jared remembered it being, perfect because it was Jensen.

He shifted back, resting his forehead against Jensen’s and sharing the sweet kiss-warm breath between them. “Tell me you love me.”

“Never stopped.”

“Say it anyways.”

“I love you Jared Tristan Padalecki.”

“I love you too. So fucking much.”

The next morning when both their parents arrived to check on Jared, they saw the two men tangled up in each other (Jensen carefully avoiding his lover’s injuries) on the too small hospital bed, neither one willing to let go now that they had each other back. They all left the room quietly, leaving the boys to the peace that came with a love that absolute.

When Jensen woke up wrapped in Jared’s arms, the smell of Jared, of _home_  filling his lungs, he could’ve sworn it felt important, monumental, like the first day of the rest of their lives. But then, Jensen had always been the dramatic one.


End file.
